We are having a glorius Thursday! The sun is shinning and the temperature is 50 degrees! A real teaser for January. This day is deceptive because we know that it is temporary. Actually the forecast is predicting some of the coldest weather for this winter to arrive next week! I will enjoy today! There is still much to do and some of it is outdoors, so I will use the remainer of this lovely day to do those outside chores that can be very much dreaded when it is very cold.
I will probably make sure the cats have plenty of food. I don't think I have shared with you the news that Lee's cat, TR died. She did, however, leave behind a yellow cat named Tiger and a gray cat (looks like TR) that I have named, Smokey. I have enjoyed watching Tiger greet me each morning by jumping up into my kitchen window over the sink. He seems to find great entertainment in watching me move about the kitchen as I prepare breakfast. Smokey has not learned this trick, but will climb onto the lower windows at the front of the house. They are both very playful and as of yet we only know the gender of Tiger (male). We hope Smokey is also a male..........may find Him/her with kittens in the Spring, because she is very wild and will not let us touch.
Lee continues to do GREAT! He had another good day at the Rehab. Center. He is very independent with the weights and does not require a lot of assistance any more. He is usually there for 1 1/2 hours three days a week. I know that he misses his strength because there are still many things he cannot do. We, however, like to focus on what he CAN do and how he is progressing. To date, he has only gained 6 pounds since October. That is probably good in that extra weight would be too much work on his heart and lung.
Today I purchased a piece of furniture to accomodate his medicine and all the parphernalia that we must have. It just seemed to be time to give up the plastic on wheels! We will have to use all the necessary items from now on and it just made sense to put it in a more aesthetic container.
Now all I have to do is figure out how to get it out of my car!
More Later...........................Brenda
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Thursday, January 27, 2011
Friday, January 21, 2011
Friday with Friends
Lee and I have been trying to catch up with spending some quality time with friends over lunch. This past week we were able to accomplish that. In addition to spending time with some couples, Lee was able to have lunch and some visits with some of his buddies. He continues to do very well. He did develop a bit of a cough this morning but that went away after he had his breathing treatment. Unfortunately we were a day late with the breathing treatment and and it seems that that may have been the reason for his cough. The Duke lung-transplant coordinator called this evening with Lee's lab results that were done earlier in the week. His potassium level was a little high and he was advised to watch his potassium intake. I think maybe he has been eating too many of our frozen peaches over his cereal. We will have to cut back on that and the strawberries. It is amazing how many of our foods are high in potassium. For your information I will list some of the more common ones: Irish potatoes, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, corn, strawberries, peaches, all berry fruits, oranges or all citrus. These are just a few but the list is long.
We are watching the local news and it looks like more wintry mix on Monday night, Tuesday and Wednesday of next week. This will be our third and you know what "they" say.......it comes in threes! At least that is what my parents always said. It is still very cold even after the warm sunshine earlier today. Tomorrow promises to be even colder. Tonight 18 degrees and the high tomorrow will be 38 degrees. I give these weather statistics for my neice in Colorado where they have had unseasonably warm weather this winter and for my nephew and his family in California. Sunny California! Hopefully it will ease any homesickness if there is any.
Must close and begin preparations for supper. We usually eat around 6:00, but I found Lee in the frig earlier and caught him with a chocolate delight dessert. He can probably wait a little longer. Maybe I will have the dessert! About that dessert. I was looking for it in a number of my cookbooks and finally decided it may be in one of my "old" cookbooks. I found it in the Catawba Valley Vittles that was published when I worked at CVCC in 1980. I found it in the index and was thrilled it was there. Imagine my surprise when I discovered it was "MY" recipe that I had submitted many years ago.
Ah..................aging...........isn't it wonderful!
More Later.................Brenda
We are watching the local news and it looks like more wintry mix on Monday night, Tuesday and Wednesday of next week. This will be our third and you know what "they" say.......it comes in threes! At least that is what my parents always said. It is still very cold even after the warm sunshine earlier today. Tomorrow promises to be even colder. Tonight 18 degrees and the high tomorrow will be 38 degrees. I give these weather statistics for my neice in Colorado where they have had unseasonably warm weather this winter and for my nephew and his family in California. Sunny California! Hopefully it will ease any homesickness if there is any.
Must close and begin preparations for supper. We usually eat around 6:00, but I found Lee in the frig earlier and caught him with a chocolate delight dessert. He can probably wait a little longer. Maybe I will have the dessert! About that dessert. I was looking for it in a number of my cookbooks and finally decided it may be in one of my "old" cookbooks. I found it in the Catawba Valley Vittles that was published when I worked at CVCC in 1980. I found it in the index and was thrilled it was there. Imagine my surprise when I discovered it was "MY" recipe that I had submitted many years ago.
Ah..................aging...........isn't it wonderful!
More Later.................Brenda
Sunday, January 16, 2011
What a Good January Sunday!
This has been one of those Sundays that Lee and I used to wish for when we were in Durham. We would put the CD on and watch the previous Sunday @ First Baptist and try to catch as many glimpses of our friends there as the CD would allow. Today we were able to attend our Sunday School class (Harmony) and spend the time with our good friends. Later we were joined at our home for lunch with four of our friends from church. We had a wonderful visit in the afternoon and following their departure, we were visited by Lee's brother and his wife. Our spirits matched the lovely day. The sun was shining and the temperature soured to a high of 50!
Lee continues to take the necessary precautions when we are around crowds by wearing the mask as necessary and always having the hand sanitizer immediately accessible. We have learned to spend our time with smaller gatherings and find them very satisfying.
I need to take the time to share some things about Lee. To date, he has gained 6 pounds since we returned home in late October. He is definitely showing more strength in his muscles that are finally returning to his body. The rolator has been put away in the closet and he is gradually using the cane less and less. He seems to enjoy just leaving the house and allowing me to discover that he is missing. I suppose that is the mischief that is still there! Each day when I look at him I can see the "old" Lee returning. He is beginning to lose some of his round prednisone face. Other good news that I will share is that each time he records his breathing tests, his scores are higher! That is the way we judge how good the new lung is functioning. According to all his breathing tests here the lung is breathing very well! He is still on the anti-fungal medication and will be until he has the next bronchoscopy that is scheduled on March 17.
As you can see, I am so proud of Lee's accomplishments. He has worked very hard and we are both able to see the results of all that hard work. I will try to get one of our more computer savy children to make a picture to share with you in the near future.
Good to be blogging again. I'll try to be more consistent. Thanks for being there.
More Later..........................Brenda
Lee continues to take the necessary precautions when we are around crowds by wearing the mask as necessary and always having the hand sanitizer immediately accessible. We have learned to spend our time with smaller gatherings and find them very satisfying.
I need to take the time to share some things about Lee. To date, he has gained 6 pounds since we returned home in late October. He is definitely showing more strength in his muscles that are finally returning to his body. The rolator has been put away in the closet and he is gradually using the cane less and less. He seems to enjoy just leaving the house and allowing me to discover that he is missing. I suppose that is the mischief that is still there! Each day when I look at him I can see the "old" Lee returning. He is beginning to lose some of his round prednisone face. Other good news that I will share is that each time he records his breathing tests, his scores are higher! That is the way we judge how good the new lung is functioning. According to all his breathing tests here the lung is breathing very well! He is still on the anti-fungal medication and will be until he has the next bronchoscopy that is scheduled on March 17.
As you can see, I am so proud of Lee's accomplishments. He has worked very hard and we are both able to see the results of all that hard work. I will try to get one of our more computer savy children to make a picture to share with you in the near future.
Good to be blogging again. I'll try to be more consistent. Thanks for being there.
More Later..........................Brenda
Friday, January 14, 2011
Finally Out of the House
After being snow-bound all week, Lee and I finally were able to leave the house on Thursday. I dropped Lee off at the rehab center in Hickory and was able to have lunch at the Atlanta Bread Factory with three of my friends and former co-workers from CVCC. It is so good to be able to return to those activities that were part of our normal, everyday life before Lee's illness. It is indeed heart-warming to be able to observe how quickly Lee is returning to some of his former activities also. For example, today while I was running errands he decided to join four of his neighbors and friends for lunch. They went to Cherryville to the famous home-cooking restaurant (greasy-spoon) for some fried chicken and even fried green beans! Oh well, there goes his cholesterol!
After some shopping, I was able to join Debbie Canipe for lunch. If you recall, her husband Bill Canipe died the end of October before he could get his second lung transplant. Debbie is struggling with her grief and her loss of Bill. She is now back at work and I believe that is helping her some. Please keep her in your prayers and better still, give her a call or drop her a note.
It continues to be very cold here. Today was the first day we had temperatures higher that the 30's. The rest of the week hopefully holds some warmer weather. Our snow was beautiful, but we are certainly looking forward to the Springtime. Lee is getting "antsy" to tackle his shop and put things back in their proper places once again. Unfortunately, it really needs a good Spring Cleaning and he will have to use caution when doing that.
Our lives today are comfortably dull. We enjoy sitting by the fire (gas logs ) napping or reading. We have been enjoying the time to be "couch potatoes" again. It is indeed wonderful to resume life as normal again!
More Later............................Brenda
After some shopping, I was able to join Debbie Canipe for lunch. If you recall, her husband Bill Canipe died the end of October before he could get his second lung transplant. Debbie is struggling with her grief and her loss of Bill. She is now back at work and I believe that is helping her some. Please keep her in your prayers and better still, give her a call or drop her a note.
It continues to be very cold here. Today was the first day we had temperatures higher that the 30's. The rest of the week hopefully holds some warmer weather. Our snow was beautiful, but we are certainly looking forward to the Springtime. Lee is getting "antsy" to tackle his shop and put things back in their proper places once again. Unfortunately, it really needs a good Spring Cleaning and he will have to use caution when doing that.
Our lives today are comfortably dull. We enjoy sitting by the fire (gas logs ) napping or reading. We have been enjoying the time to be "couch potatoes" again. It is indeed wonderful to resume life as normal again!
More Later............................Brenda
Monday, January 10, 2011
Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow!
Oh! The weather outside is frightful, but the......well you know the rest of the song! We awoke to a lovely white outdoors. Everything looks very serene, quiet and still. Lee and I have spent the day enjoying the gas logs, reading, phone calls etc. For me, that has included catching up on laundry, making a big pot of chicken noodle soup, oatmeal, cranberry muffins and creating good smells throughout the house.
Speaking of reading: I asked for and received Mark Twain's Autobiography for Christmas. If you have an opportunity to read that book I highly recommend it. Mark Twain requested that the book be published 100 years after his death and not before. As I read the book I can almost imagine that he is sitting before me sharing his stories. You can actually start anywhere in the book and begin reading......there is no sequence from the front to the back. This is the first of three volumes and the first is so thick it promises to take most of this year to read!
Lee was getting a little stir-crazy to go out earlier today and drove his truck around our drive that encircles the house to the mailbox to retrieve the morning paper. He did not return for the mail as we are almost certain that it did not arrive today. We have about 5 inches of snow and it has snowed off and on all day today since I measured earlier this a.m. We may have 6-7 inches now. The temperature is still cold......around 27 degrees and promises to get much colder tonight. We are to expect some freezing rain and sleet on top of the snow. Guess I will have to cancel that much-needed hair appointment tomorrow.
I am sure we will welcome Spring with glad hearts! We are hoping to be able to spend a considerable amount of time at the beach this Spring and next Fall. Now that Lee is feeling so much better, he really does enjoy his liberation.........by that I mean that he really enjoys his independence. He looks so good! I wish all of you could see him. As I look across the room it is hard to believe how he was so close to dying this time last year. To look at him today, one would find it hard to believe that he had been so deathly ill last year.
I wanted to share with you that I am in the process of publishing the blog. It is at the present time in the proof-reading stage and will probably take me another few weeks to get it exactly as I would like to present to those of you who might be interested. I am considering putting it on amazon.com and will try to keep the price very affordable. I will let you know when it is available and where you can find it. I have left all of your comments intact and there will be pictures for you to enjoy. I did manage to get the rough draft proof ready in time to give it to Lee for Christmas. To date, he is still reading it from time to time. There are many circumstances that he could not recall and has found them by reading the book.
Guess I will catch the early news and see when this storm will end. Happy Sledding!
More Later............................Brenda
Speaking of reading: I asked for and received Mark Twain's Autobiography for Christmas. If you have an opportunity to read that book I highly recommend it. Mark Twain requested that the book be published 100 years after his death and not before. As I read the book I can almost imagine that he is sitting before me sharing his stories. You can actually start anywhere in the book and begin reading......there is no sequence from the front to the back. This is the first of three volumes and the first is so thick it promises to take most of this year to read!
Lee was getting a little stir-crazy to go out earlier today and drove his truck around our drive that encircles the house to the mailbox to retrieve the morning paper. He did not return for the mail as we are almost certain that it did not arrive today. We have about 5 inches of snow and it has snowed off and on all day today since I measured earlier this a.m. We may have 6-7 inches now. The temperature is still cold......around 27 degrees and promises to get much colder tonight. We are to expect some freezing rain and sleet on top of the snow. Guess I will have to cancel that much-needed hair appointment tomorrow.
I am sure we will welcome Spring with glad hearts! We are hoping to be able to spend a considerable amount of time at the beach this Spring and next Fall. Now that Lee is feeling so much better, he really does enjoy his liberation.........by that I mean that he really enjoys his independence. He looks so good! I wish all of you could see him. As I look across the room it is hard to believe how he was so close to dying this time last year. To look at him today, one would find it hard to believe that he had been so deathly ill last year.
I wanted to share with you that I am in the process of publishing the blog. It is at the present time in the proof-reading stage and will probably take me another few weeks to get it exactly as I would like to present to those of you who might be interested. I am considering putting it on amazon.com and will try to keep the price very affordable. I will let you know when it is available and where you can find it. I have left all of your comments intact and there will be pictures for you to enjoy. I did manage to get the rough draft proof ready in time to give it to Lee for Christmas. To date, he is still reading it from time to time. There are many circumstances that he could not recall and has found them by reading the book.
Guess I will catch the early news and see when this storm will end. Happy Sledding!
More Later............................Brenda
Saturday, January 8, 2011
New Year, New Lee
Many apologies to all of you (if you are still checking my blog) for not being available to write. We had a wonderful Christmas with our family and as you have surmised by now, one that kept me extremely busy. Each day I would think I would be able to write only to discover that I did not have one bit of energy left from the full day! If you are still there, I ask your forgiveness. Now to catch up:
The good part to tell you about Christmas is that we were able to have part of the family here for Christmas eve and the rest of the family for Christmas Day. There were, however some changes in schedules and sadness that accompanied our time together.
On Christmas Eve, it has been our custom to have my children and their families and on Christmas Day we have Lee's children and their families. Christmas Eve was a small gathering because of changing lives. Greg's wife, Cathy had a cold and had to stay home. His son Daniel traveled abroad to visit friends, daughter Rebekah was staying in Kernersville. Bo stayed home with the twins who had colds. So we only had my daughter Julia, the two girls, Greg and youngest son, Will. We were a quiet, somber family.
Christmas morning, Cathy's father collapsed at home and died. We found some comfort in knowing that while Cathy had to stay home on Christmas eve, she had found time to visit her parents. It was the last time she saw her Dad.
Christmas Day was with the three Kanipe families but because it had begun to snow heavily, everyone had to exit much sooner than anticipated. Everything seemed to go in a great rush! None-the-less, we were able to enjoy our time together.
The time after Christmas was to attend the funeral and gatherings for Cathy's family. It was a very sad time for all of them but they somehow managed to get together for a New Year's celebration at one of the family member's home. After a week of grief they were somehow able to share in some rare moments of relaxation.
Lee and I greeted the New Year on New Year's Day because we retired before 10:00 on the eve. Somehow the warm bed was more enticing than watching the ball drop at Time's Square!
I finally got all of Christmas decor put away and the tree down! It is always good to get the house back together again.
We just returned from a visit to Durham. We were there on January 6th for Lee's visit with the cardiac and the lung doctor. The cardiac doctor discharged him from his services and said his heart appeared to be doing great! After all the clinic rounds ( lab work, chest x-ray, lung-function tests), Lee saw the lung doctor and was told that this was his best clinic visit every! His pulmonary function tests had improved by 11 % on one and by 8 % on another. That was great news! We were told not to return until March 17th. Guess we will have to wear green!
Lee is doing fantastic! He just gets in his truck and travels! Sometimes I do not know he is gone until I get to missing him and the truck is gone! Can you believe that! What a miracle!
He is looking more like he did prior to November '09. Getting stronger and walks freely without the aid of a rolater. He is now anticipating going to the beach house sometime in February!
What a joy to watch his amazing metamorphasis! We feel so blessed and are so grateful that 2010 is behind us. We were delighted to usher that year out the door and welcome 2011!
Happy New Year to all of you and I hope to hear from you somewhere along the blogging way.
The good part to tell you about Christmas is that we were able to have part of the family here for Christmas eve and the rest of the family for Christmas Day. There were, however some changes in schedules and sadness that accompanied our time together.
On Christmas Eve, it has been our custom to have my children and their families and on Christmas Day we have Lee's children and their families. Christmas Eve was a small gathering because of changing lives. Greg's wife, Cathy had a cold and had to stay home. His son Daniel traveled abroad to visit friends, daughter Rebekah was staying in Kernersville. Bo stayed home with the twins who had colds. So we only had my daughter Julia, the two girls, Greg and youngest son, Will. We were a quiet, somber family.
Christmas morning, Cathy's father collapsed at home and died. We found some comfort in knowing that while Cathy had to stay home on Christmas eve, she had found time to visit her parents. It was the last time she saw her Dad.
Christmas Day was with the three Kanipe families but because it had begun to snow heavily, everyone had to exit much sooner than anticipated. Everything seemed to go in a great rush! None-the-less, we were able to enjoy our time together.
The time after Christmas was to attend the funeral and gatherings for Cathy's family. It was a very sad time for all of them but they somehow managed to get together for a New Year's celebration at one of the family member's home. After a week of grief they were somehow able to share in some rare moments of relaxation.
Lee and I greeted the New Year on New Year's Day because we retired before 10:00 on the eve. Somehow the warm bed was more enticing than watching the ball drop at Time's Square!
I finally got all of Christmas decor put away and the tree down! It is always good to get the house back together again.
We just returned from a visit to Durham. We were there on January 6th for Lee's visit with the cardiac and the lung doctor. The cardiac doctor discharged him from his services and said his heart appeared to be doing great! After all the clinic rounds ( lab work, chest x-ray, lung-function tests), Lee saw the lung doctor and was told that this was his best clinic visit every! His pulmonary function tests had improved by 11 % on one and by 8 % on another. That was great news! We were told not to return until March 17th. Guess we will have to wear green!
Lee is doing fantastic! He just gets in his truck and travels! Sometimes I do not know he is gone until I get to missing him and the truck is gone! Can you believe that! What a miracle!
He is looking more like he did prior to November '09. Getting stronger and walks freely without the aid of a rolater. He is now anticipating going to the beach house sometime in February!
What a joy to watch his amazing metamorphasis! We feel so blessed and are so grateful that 2010 is behind us. We were delighted to usher that year out the door and welcome 2011!
Happy New Year to all of you and I hope to hear from you somewhere along the blogging way.
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